Northeast wakes up to one of the earliest snow days in memory

(31 Oct 2011) ABC - No Access North America/Internet Near Providence, Rhode Island - 30 October 2011 1. Various of tree branches falling under weight of snow Near Yonkers, New York - 30 October 2011 2. Various of snow falling on neighbourhood, tree branch collapses 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York: "Trick or treat. I think Mother Nature played a trick on us." New Haven, Connecticut - 30 October 2011 4. Various of snow clean up, snow ploughs on road, people scraping pavements 5. Various of power line repair 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) resident of New Haven, Connecticut: "No heat, no food, no power, and it's October." 7. Car driving through snow on Interstate highway 8. Fallen tree on car New Haven, Connecticut - 29 October 2011 ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 9. Various of Jet Blue plane on snow covered tarmac 10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Andrew Carter, Passenger on Board Jet Blue Flight: "No one wants to be stranded in a place where you didn't sign up to go to. Nobody wants to be stuck on board a plane without water, eventually, and without access to a bathroom. The bathrooms were getting nasty." 11. Various of Jet Blue plane on tarmac STORYLINE: Millions of people were still without power early in the northeast United States on Monday after an unseasonably early storm dumped as much as 30 inches (76 centimetres) of snow, in places, from Maryland to Maine. Communities that suffered through a tough winter last year followed by a series of floods and storms went into now-familiar emergency mode as shelters opened, inaccessible roads closed, regional transit was suspended or delayed, and local leaders urged caution. The snowstorm was blamed for at least 12 deaths, and states of emergency were declared in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and parts of New York. Compounding the storm's impact were still-leafy trees, which gave the snow something to hang onto and that put tremendous weight on branches. That led to limbs breaking off and contributed to the widespread power failures. The unseasonably early nor'easter had utility companies struggling to restore electricity to more than three (m) million homes and businesses. By early on Monday, the number of customers without power had dipped to around two (m) million and continued falling. But officials in some states warned it could be days or even a week before residents have power again, even though crews have been brought in from as far away as Michigan and Canada. Trees, branches and power lines still littered roads and rail lines throughout the region, leading to a tough Monday morning commute for many. Some local officials cancelled or postponed Halloween activities, fearful that young trick-or-treaters could wander into areas with downed power lines or trees ready to topple over. A weekend that should have brought activity no more strenuous than raking colourful autumn leaves left Northeasterners weather-weary. The storm smashed record snowfall totals for October and worsened as it moved north. The storm's lingering effects likely will outlast the snow. Temperatures are expected to begin rising Monday and the heavy, wet snow will start melting, the National Weather Service said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...